Tech Support Professional and Cybersecurity Analyst Art Samaniego Jr. has urged the public to exercise extreme caution when sharing online content, especially those coming from unverified or unofficial accounts of public officials.
In an exclusive interview on DZRH Balansyado on Tuesday, Samaniego warned that the rapid advancement of technology has made it easy for malicious actors to spread false or misleading information.
He demonstrated how he was able to generate an Artificial Intelligence (AI)–produced video of former Congressman Zaldy Co.
Samaniego explained that he captured a screenshot from one of Co’s legitimate social media videos and fed it into an application, Google’s Veo, which then created a realistic-looking but entirely fabricated clip.
“Ang punto naman po, mag-iingat po tayo sa pag-share ng hindi galing sa mga official websites o official accounts ng mga politiko natin. Kasi maraming nag-share ng mga pictures at mga video ni Salveco na mga edited talaga at mga AI generated. Pare pareho yung sinasabi, mukhang gusto nilang gumawa ng mga panggulong videos," he said.
According to Samaniego, AI technology can now convincingly recreate a person’s likeness, making it possible to produce videos designed to smear reputations, stir chaos, or manufacture controversies.
“'Yun yung danger ng technology ngayon. Kasi pwedeng-pwedeng gumawa ng mga bagay na yun,” he emphasized.
He cited a previous case involving an edited—not AI-generated—video falsely showing the President engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Kung naalala... yung kay President na sumisinghot, edited video yun, halatang edited video yun, hindi pa AI ang pinagana doon ha, inedit lang talaga siya at hindi totoo yun," he noted.
"Kung nagawa nila sa Presidente yun, pwedeng-pwede din itong gawin ng ibang tao, lalo na ngayon na ang technology nag-advance na talaga, at nakukuha na yung mga itsura ng tao," she said.
Samaniego emphasized the need to verify suspicious videos by checking whether they also appear on trusted and credible sources, such as mainstream news organizations.
“Kailangan kasi natin ma-verify yan. So kailangan natin mag-double source. Double source dapat makikita rin natin sa iba. Pero hindi lang kung kani-kaninong account. Kundi tingnan natin yung mga verified din na news agencies,” he said.
"Kung lumabas to sa verified na mga news agencies, kasi tayo, may responsibility tayo na mag-verify. So hindi natin sinasacrifice ‘yung accuracy para lang mauna tayo dun sa balita," tech expect added.
"Kung nilabas mo ito ng mainstream media. Kasi pag hindi to nilabas, magtaka ka na bakit yung mga naglabas ito yung tao lang na may tatlong followers. So dapat obserbahan din natin kung sino yung source natin. At dun natin makikita kung peke o totoo hindi," he emphasized.
He stressed that responsible media organizations prioritize accuracy over speed, making them reliable references when verifying questionable content.
Tools and signs for detecting AI-generated videos
Samaniego also shared that the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) uses a program developed in Singapore that can quickly identify whether a video is AI-generated.
He said that a tool functions as a browser plug-in and is designed to help media outlets determine a video’s authenticity.
For ordinary citizens, he advised looking for visual inconsistencies—particularly in details that AI often struggles to replicate accurately.
“Bilang yung ordinary citizen naman, ang titignan nila yung mga inconsistencies ng skin. Halimbawa yung mga kumakalat na AI generated video ni Zaldy Co ngayon. Maraming makapal na yung kilay, manipis naman talagang kilay niya diba? So ginagawa ito ng AI, kinocompensate ng AI yung mga bagay para magbukang tao. Dahil dito, nabibisto siya na AI generated siya," Samaniego said. "Walang isang minuto, walang one minute na gawa yung video na yan. So isipin mo na lang yung mga taong gusto talagang gumawa ng kalokohan. "
He added that many fabricated videos are often under one minute long—another sign to watch out for.
"Ito yung mga nakakatakot na mga pwedeng gawin ng technology ngayon. Kaya yun nga, dapat maging ma-panuri at laging magduda sa mga kikita natin online. Kasi nga ang daming kalokohan ngayon," he added.
